1 year ago: Windstorm capsizes boats, leading to rescue of 3 hypothermic paddlers

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office pulled three people from the Dillon Reservoir over the Memorial Day holiday weekend following a windstorm that led to simultaneous emergency responses. No one was hurt when the windstorm struck May 25, 2024, but all three people were hypothermic when they were pulled from the ice-cold water, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. All three people were wearing personal flotation devices, which Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons credited with saving their lives.

— From the May 29, 2024, edition of the Summit Daily News

5 years ago: A-Basin hosts second opening day of the season after COVID shutdown

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area successfully pulled off reopening in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lucky skiers and snowboarders who won the reservation raffle filed in around 8 a.m. May 27, 2020, donning ski buffs and masks over their faces. The first riders walked across a pathway through the grass, which was exposed on a warm May day, up to a table set up with a plexiglass shield to have their tickets scanned. They stepped up onto the snow, and by 8:20 a.m., the first chair was off. A-Basin is one of only a few ski areas in the country to reopen following widespread shutdowns during the pandemic.

— From the May 28, 2020, edition of the Summit Daily News

10 years ago: Summit Stage officials look at potential Park County commuter bus

Summit Stage officials are researching the possibility of a new bus route, linking Summit and Park counties. With the number of Fairplay and Alma residents who commute to Breckenridge daily for work amounting to 86 Park County residents out of 410, according to a 2012 survey, ridership for the proposed service is estimated at just over 11,000 annually. With proposed stops running from Fairplay’s Sinclair gas station and Main Street to the Breckenridge Station, the route would travel between the two towns in just over 40 minutes, with proposed stops at Alma, Quandary, Blue River and others.

— From the May 28, 2015, edition of the Summit Daily News

15 years ago: Lake Dillon Art Center closes up, hopes to reinvent itself

Lacking much-needed funding for operating expenses, the Lake Dillon Art Center closed its doors May 31, 2010. Located at 115 Village Place in Dillon, founder and local photographer Matt Lit had been funding the center out-of-pocket since opening its doors in March 2009. He originally housed the center at La Riva del Lago building. According to Lit, an inability to secure adequate capital funding, combined with national economic trends, forced him to cease operations. Lit additionally said he plans to keep the center’s nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. Though the overhead costs of operating a building proved difficult, he noted he’d like his vision to re-emerge in a new way.

— From the May 31, 2010, edition of the Summit Daily News

30 years ago: Georgetown railroad operator proposes historic train in Breckenridge

The operator of the Georgetown Loop Railroad aims to establish a similar attraction in Breckenridge. The concept calls for a shortline railway with enclosed, heated cars to run from lowa Hill, just north of Valley Brook Cemetery, to the property known as the Airport parcel. The business, while being primarily a summer attraction, could operate year-round. Speaking on May 24, 1995, the operator emphasized that the plan is preliminary, saying that he has “not a clue” about how it would be funded. It was expected to be discussed during a June 1995 Breckenridge Council work session.

— From the May 26, 1995, edition of the Summit Daily News

125 years ago: Denver men secure naturalist’s collection for future museum

Representatives from the Colorado Museum Association arrived in Breckenridge May 29, 1900, to make the final transfer of the famous fauna collection of Edwin Carter. Sen. E. W. Merritt, attorney L. W. Hoyt and taxidermist R. Borchardt met with the collection’s administrator, George Engle, and his attorney. The parties appeared before the probate court in the evening where all details were agreed upon, $10,000 was paid for the collection and the legal transfer was formally made. Among the stipulations for the deal: an agreement that the collection remain in Breckenridge until suitable buildings to house it; that the collection will be officially known as the “Carter collection”; that the collection remain intact — only duplicate specimens in the collection can be sold, transferred or exchanged; and the new museum in Denver is to be open, free, to the public at least one day in each week.

— From the June 2, 1900, edition of the Summit County Journal